Vehicle

Review

Like it or hate it, the Toyota Prius has successfully mainstreamed the hybrid car. The first gen cars that are still out on the road is a testament of how reliable this drivetrain is. But for some (like myself), I can't get past the way it looks (like a door stop). It's just not my style. The Lexus CT200h floats my boat. Compared to a Prius, it's a very different car. The front bucket seats alone are worth the price of admission. The sporty good looks, larger alloy wheels, and luxurious amenities sacrifices some MPG, but I'm getting more than 45mpg.
What more can I ask for? Sure, it's on the low end of the Lexus totem pole, but it's definitely more comfortable than a top of the line Prius.

Best Features

Real world 45mpg with a 80+ mile round trip commute (90% FWY).
Pleather seats (my past 3 cars with real leather seats got hard and cracked after just a few years). Feels about as comfortable as my 06 Evolution IX with the leather Recaro seats.
I had vinyl in my first car (81 Datsun 210). After 15 years, even though the cloth around it disintegrated, the vinyl was fine.
Looks. I love the way this car looks. Reminds me of the IS300 wagon.
Size.
I love small cars because I'm small and fit in small cars very nicely. Easy to park, good maneuverability, and a good u-turn radius.
Did I mention 45mpg?

Worst Features

Why won't any car mfg license blue tooth handsfree tech from Parrot?
Is it that much more money?
Alpine licenses from Parrot for their higher end units.
I had a 7 year old Parrot system in my previous car that can synch and use my phone's phonebook.
I've switched phones a handful of times and it'd always worked.
No updates required.
With the CT200h and my current phone, I have to program each contact into the car, and it won't fit all my contacts either, so I had to prioritize.
Manually entering contacts?
That's so 1990's.